


Legend has it

by promisin



Category: Promare (2019)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-18
Updated: 2020-03-27
Packaged: 2021-02-27 21:27:04
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 17,889
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22622503
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/promisin/pseuds/promisin
Summary: Lio finds his soulmate, falls in love, stops a war, and saves the world. Not in that order.Lio had never considered having a soulmate growing up. His parents were an arranged marriage, a union for the good of their families rather than each other, and though they loved him and each other well enough, it was not the same love he would hear about that splits the skies and saves humanity.
Relationships: Lio Fotia/Galo Thymos
Comments: 40
Kudos: 168





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome to my take on a(n admittedly tropey) fantasy au!

Lio had never considered having a soulmate growing up. His parents were an arranged marriage, a union for the good of their families rather than each other, and though they loved him and each other well enough, it was not the same love he would hear about that splits the skies and saves humanity.

When Promepolis started to send armies past Promare's borders, Lio was among the first to volunteer to fight back. Lio's mother had not wanted him to join the army, but she had always taught him to protect those who could not protect themselves, and his high aptitude to Promean artes as a Burnish made him the perfect candidate. She wanted him to find his other half and to settle down and live a quiet life, and mourns it in every letter she sends.

He thinks about this, and what she said about love, because the hand around his neck is more than just crushing his windpipe; it's warm and stinging and magical in a way that chokeholds are not, and the moment he wraps his hands around the wrist, the pressure on his throat releases just a little.

The moment holds with his breath, burning the first contact of his soulmate into his flesh while he resigns himself to a quiet death away from the glory of the battlefield.

He's dropped.

"Galo, what are you doing?" A voice calls from behind, but the paladin - Galo - does not respond. Lio's gasping for breath on the ground, struggling to push himself upright with a hand as his vision swims.

"He's," Galo starts as the third person pushes him out of the way and knocks Lio back over with the butt of her rifle. "Aina-"

"Stop hesitating." She scolds, standing on Lio's chest to keep him down. Lio tries to roll away, but he's still suffering from the lack of oxygen and she presses down harder to prevent any escape ideas he may have. She spins her rifle back around so that the barrel is pointed towards Lio, but it's knocked out of her hand before she manages. 

Galo puts his arm up, gauntlet off and skin exposed to show a faintly glowing mark, geometric flames twisting around his wrist. "No, wait, Aina, he's my soulmate." 

Lio tries to get up again, but Aina does not budge. She does examine the mark carefully, eyes flicking between Galo's wrist and Lio's neck, which he bares as a surrender in the hopes that they will perhaps let him live if they care about romance, or kill him quickly if not. 

"He's the  _ enemy _ ." She says, as if it was ever a contested fact.

"But he's  _ mine _ . Can we not just keep him?" 

"I'm not a  _ pet. _ " Lio rasps from the ground, getting exasperated. He'd already made peace with the fact that he was going to die, and there's not much after that, emotionally. "If you're going to kill me please, go ahead."

There's a few beats of silence, and then Aina steps back. "Your choice, Galo. You've already established the bond." 

Lio uses his newfound mobility to sit up and carefully keeps his hands visible while doing so. He doesn't want to scare them into pulling the trigger. 

"I guess you're coming with us then." Galo decides, which has his pink haired companion looking like she regrets giving him the choice and wants to argue, but she bites her lip and relents. 

Understandably, Lio is still considered enough of a threat to not be wandering around unsupervised, but he's surprised at how lightly they're letting him off by - they've taken his weapons and he's not to be left alone, and that's it. 

The first misunderstanding comes when they return to their camp with someone who is obviously Burnish. People stare at Lio in his Promare-issued uniform, black and shiny unlike the white and blue standard that Promepolis boasts. 

Galo must be important enough for people not to question it, however, as they part to make way for them and let the three of them pass. Lio realises, belatedly, that it's not necessarily Galo and Lio they're looking at, but rather their soulmarks which neither had thought to cover. 

" _ The secret mission was to extract his forbidden lover? _ " Lio overhears someone say, and it takes a few minutes to parse that into the implication that  _ he's _ the 'forbidden lover' and by then they've already walked past whoever could have said it. 

He's conflicted enough already, and to have people presume that he's betrayed his people is another stab in the chest. Lio didn't ask for this, in fact, death may have been kinder. He doesn't want to be trapped on this side of the war when he could be protecting another village from being completely ravaged by the very people who have taken him. 

Lio reminds himself that running now would be stupid, to try and keep the restlessness away. If he could just bide his time, he could get away properly and return to his squad. Soulmate or no, his family and people come before him, and if Galo thinks he'll sit pretty as a prize, all the better to be underestimated. 

The tent they arrive at is bigger than the others and clearly some kind of war room. The man sitting at the end of the long table is a large and intimidating figure, decorated in red medals and wearing shaded glasses that obscure his eyes.

"I believe your task was to eliminate the target." He says, putting down his pen and addressing Galo directly. 

"I was gonna!" Galo starts, but Aina interrupts him. 

"Captain Ex, I'm sure you can see why that did not happen." 

Lio feels the man's gaze turn to him rather than see it, which is an unsettling experience. "Your soulmate is Lio Fotia, hm?" 

Lio doesn't expect him to know who he is, and by the gasps coming from Galo and Aina, neither did they. 

"Lio  _ Fotia _ ?!" Aina immediately grabs Lio by the wrists, holding them tightly behind him so he can't move. He's mildly surprised that they didn't know who he was, but then again, he's normally fully armoured in battle and they have not been treating him with much respect.

"What the hell? You didn't tell me I'd be facing the Promare's Elite in debriefing!" Galo accuses, pushing forward to slam his palm onto the table, and then seemingly rethinking his statement. "I took down the best Promare has to offer!" 

He flexes, indulging himself, and then returns to confronting Captain Ex.

"It was an order from the top." The Captain says. "I was not to tell you who your target was, just what was debriefed this morning." 

"Kray wanted me to do this?" Galo's eyes sparkle, any animosity forgotten. Lio files the information away; Kray Foresight is the Crown Prince of Promepolis, and if Galo is close enough to use his first name, then perhaps it's not such a bad thing he's here. 

"Galo…" Aina speaks up again, before Galo can go on. "Maybe we shouldn't speak about this with Lio here?"

A shame that she's smart enough to stop Galo from spilling any more. 

"Oh, right!" He straightens up and faces Lio, eyes lingering on his neck. "We should put him with the other Burnish."

"Good." Captain Ex agrees, and makes a motion of dismissal with one hand, the other rubbing his forehead as if he is in pain. "See to it."

They arrive at a trailer pasted with seals that Lio recognises as anti-burnish, which is to be expected. There is only one other person in there already when they escort him in, and he can already see that something is wrong when they open the door. 

The Burnish are fiery people; they like light and warmth, and if there is no source they can make their own. The cell is dark except for the afternoon sunlight streaming in from outside, and the woman is huddling in a corner facing away from them. 

Lio shoots Galo a look of disbelief before going in, gently tapping the woman's shoulder to get her attention. She's young, dark skinned that looks too pale and eyes bruised with lack of sleep. 

"Who?" She asks, voice rough from disuse. 

"I'm Lio. May I help?" He answers, taking one of her cold hands. The seals are strong, yes, but nowhere near as strong as they need to be to stop Lio from summoning a small fire. A pink light flickers into existence, spreading up the woman's arms and sinking into her skin. 

Galo makes a shocked noise at his arte, simple as it was, and barges in to pull him away. Lio lets go of the woman before she's tugged with him, and the light fades. 

"How are you doing that?" He asks, still holding onto Lio by the collar. 

"The seals aren't that strong." Lio reaches behind to slap Galo's hand off him, to let go. "You need to let me help her." 

"Why?" Galo asks, as if he genuinely doesn't see how bad a state the woman is in. "She's Burnish." 

Lio opens his mouth to reply, but he isn't sure where to start: does Galo not think the Burnish have needs? Does he think that they aren't people too? He understands that they're prisoners, but he didn't think that Promepolis was this inhumane.

"... And we Burnish also need food and water like anyone else." He settles for instead, angry but willing to accept that maybe no one had ever told Galo any differently. "When was the last time she had either?"

"Well I don't normally deal with the cells, it's someone else's job." Galo deflects, but he's looking suitably cowed from the accusation. 

"Great." Lio snaps, walking back towards the woman with half an eye on Galo. He's annoyed, yes, but the woman's condition is more important to him right now. She's watching him wide-eyed as he returns, and raises her hands willingly for him to take. 

"Thyma." She says gently, when Lio is doing his best to pass her some of his energy through the dampener seals. "My name is Thyma."

"I don't recognise you from Mad Burnish." She looks like she recognises the name, but tilts her head to let him carry on anyway. "It's what my squad call themselves. I supervised the generals."

"Oh…" She pauses, coughing again, "I've heard of you." 

"It's alright, we'll have plenty of time to talk. Rest ." Lio pats her hand and continues to work. Thyma nods, and closes her eyes. Good. It's easier if she's relaxed. 

He can still feel Galo's eyes on him, and when he looks over, the taller man is looking pensive.

"This isn't a show." He whispers, hoping that Galo would get the hint. 

"No, but, I thought these seals were supposed to stop the Burnish doing their magic-y stuff." He says, tapping a finger on his chin. 

Lio resists the urge to roll his eyes. "They're just dampeners. If you're going to tell someone to fix it, at least let me help her first." He isn't expecting much, considering the state of this glorified box they're calling a prison.

"Yeah, sorry." Galo looks conflicted, strangely enough, but something like determination is shining in his eyes. "I'll ask about the meal schedule too." 

Lio is taken off guard by Galo's behaviour, confused at how little it took for him to come around. He doesn't want to thank Galo for locking him up in here like a pet just because some greater power decided that their lives should be intertwined, but his offer is more kindness than Lio expected. 

With no answer, Galo closes the door with a goodbye, and he is alone with Thyma and his thoughts.

It's hard to tell time in a dark box with no light except the faint glow of Lio's fire, which stutters out with a faint puff either from exhaustion or the seals outside being fortified. Lio is too fatigued to tell which it is. 

Thyma, on the other hand, is feeling better. She tells him about how she got captured - on a business trip, where she discovered by accident her Burnish abilities and was promptly turned in before they even arrived at the town she was headed to - but also of her family back in a small Promepolitan town, where they traded goods for a living. 

The admission makes Lio angry, knowing they would treat their own citizens like this, just for being Burnish. It's no wonder the majority of them move to Promare when they awaken their abilities.

She asks about why he's here too, in a middle-of-nowhere Promepolis camp. He doesn't particularly want to talk about it, and she gets the idea when his answers start getting vague. 

Conversation drops off after that, and Lio feels a little bad about the abrupt way he ended it, but he's too tired to care too much. He was already running on fumes when he was dispatched to the rendezvous, and then the ambush with Galo was an entire Thing, and then sharing his Burnish flame with Thyma on top of that. 

He must have fallen out of consciousness at some point, because he awakens, and there are small slits cut into the top of the box, streaming in moonlight.

Lio looks around for Thyma, finding her leaned against the wall looking up to the small patches of sky. 

"Good morning, Lio. Or perhaps, good night?" She says, much too happy for being a prisoner. "Your boyfriend came by to cut these out just before the sun set."

"My… Boyfriend?" He asks, disbelieving. She did see that he was also thrown into a dark cell, right?

"Galo Thymos." Thyma replies, turning to Lio properly. "He said you were soulmates."

Lio touches his neck, suddenly self conscious about the mark. "I- Yes, but we aren't dating." 

"Because of the war, right?" 

"No?" Lio is thoroughly confused now, and mildly pissed off at whatever Galo might have said to her. 

She sees his frown, and it's quick to correct herself. "Sorry if I assumed. It's just impressive how quickly he gets things for you. He even came by to deliver meals."

Thyma points towards the entrance, and there are two plates sitting on the ground, with two cups. He hasn't noticed them before, so instead of replying he goes to examine them. 

One of the plates is already empty, and the other has a slice of bread and gruel on it. As if on cue, his stomach rumbles, reminding him that he hasn't eaten since early morning, and even then it was a ration bar. 

"Thank you, by the way." Thyma says, shuffling over as well. She doesn't say what for, but she doesn't need to. 

"It's okay. We're in here together, now." Lio rips his bread in half and passes it to Thyma. "You've been here longer than I have." 

"Thanks. Again." She takes the bread and they eat in silence, both hungry. 

Thyma lies down to sleep after the food is gone, but Lio isn't tired enough to follow suit. He sits and squints up at the slits to the outside world and thinks until the sky starts to lighten, painting thin stripes of orange and red into their cell. When was the last time Thyma had seen the sun, he wonders, and how long are they to stay?

The door opens not long after the sun has risen and the colours of dawn have become a brighter yellow of daytime. Galo steps in and closes the door behind him, looking like he's trying to be sneaky but Lio highly doubts that no one has noticed him with his offensively blue hair spiked upwards and shining silver armour clanking with every move, even if he's only wearing the bottom half of it. 

"You're awake." Galo says, as if he didn't expect Lio to be. 

"As are you." Lio replies, not sure where this conversation is going. 

"I-" Galo starts, but stops, considering his words. "Why are you fighting?" 

Lio narrows his eyes, immediately on the defensive. "Why do I fight against Promepolis? Or why do I fight for the Burnish?"

"Both." Galo nods, not hearing Lio's bite in his words, or perhaps ignoring it.

"Because I have to." Lio snaps, not sure of how else to answer when put on the spot. 

"But why?" 

"Because Promare is a country where we Burnish can live without being arrested for practicing 'evil magics', where we won't be treated like  _ this _ ." He waves at the cell he's in to prove his point. Galo looks like he's about to interject, but Lio continues before he can. "That wasn't enough for you guys. You won't even let us live in peace." 

"That's not true-" Galo tries again, and again Lio interiors him.

"It is! Do you think Promare would seriously try and start a war with Promepolis, the biggest Kingdom on the continent? Do you even know of any place in  _ Promepolis _ where  _ Promare _ has attacked first?"

"King Foresight said that Promare has amassed an evil army of Burnish." Galo replies slowly, and Lio can see the realisation dawn on his face as he says it. 

"We don't choose to be Burnish. It's part of us and it doesn't make us killers. Do the villages you raid to kidnap us look like evil armies?" 

Galo doesn't answer immediately, admitting quietly, "I've not been outside Promepolis before." 

Lio doesn't know how to respond to that. He thought that Galo at least had some experience based on how enthusiastic he was during his capture and speaking to the Captain afterwards. He throws his arms up in the air instead, grasping for something that isn't there. 

"Maybe you should." He says instead, the fight leaving him. His destined other half is a young soul, so fresh and easily influenced it makes Lio feel bad for him. "Why did you want to know?"

"Because you're my soulmate." Galo shows him his right wrist, the one marked with flames reminiscent of Burnish flame. "I didn't think fate would choose me a bad person."

"There are no good people in a war." Lio says, the  _ including you _ hanging in the air. 

"That's not what I said." Galo replies, easily and patiently, not raising to the bait.

"Right." And Lio knows that's not what he meant. It doesn't change the fact that they're on opposite sides, or the fact that Lio is a prisoner. If they had met more directly on the battlefield they would have fought to the death, never knowing each other's names. 

Just speaking to Galo is dangerous for Lio, because he's got a face now, a personality behind the Promepolis uniform, and friends. It's not easy to do his job if he thinks about these things, and hesitation might as well be a death sentence. 

Galo is disappointed, Lio can tell by the crease in his brow and the slight downturn of his mouth. 

"I don't know what you expected." Lio says, breaking the silence. "You almost killed me, kidnapped me, and locked me in a box."

"I know. I'm sorry." Galo bows his head, avoiding Lio's eyes. 

"Sorry is hardly going to cut it." Lio knows he's being a little unfair, with Galo clearly carrying out orders for all three of those actions, and Lio isn't aware of the circumstances outside of what he's seen but he's hurt, and tired, and scared. Even if he won't show it. 

"But I want to get to know you, because you're my soul-" 

Lio makes a frustrated noise, cutting Galo off again. "I'm. A.  _ Person. _ I'm not yours, and you have no reason to trust anything I say the same way I don't trust you!"

"Fine." Galo clenches his jaw, expression closing up. "I have other things to do." 

He stands up and leaves abruptly, leaving Lio breathing hard from the frustration. On one hand, Lio is glad to have him gone, but for some sone it still feels emptier now. There's nothing left to channel his remaining anger, so he punches the floor with a growl. 

He hears movement behind him and reacts a little too quickly, swinging around with his hackles raised and surprising Thyma backwards. She's awake, and looks like she's heard everything. 

"Oh," she says, understanding. She approaches slowly and lifts a hand up to his face, wiping a stray tear away. 

"Oh," Lio echoes, not realising that he was even crying. He pulls back, pressing his palms into his eyes to try and chase the tears away, but now that he's noticed and now that they've started, they won't stop. 

He feels awkward and ashamed, showing this side of himself to a stranger after even the concept of privacy is taken away. Thyma tries to comfort him more, but he moves away and she keeps her distance after that. 

Galo doesn't come after that. 

Someone else comes in periodically to give them food and water, twice a day at the most or not at all. Lio had presumed that they'd want information out of him, or to make an example of him, or  _ something _ other than letting him rot away in a box. 

He gets his answer ten days later (Lio is counting the days, of course he is) when the pink haired sniper comes for Lio instead of their usual faceless squire who got the short straw. She's fuming over something, that much is clear from her sour expression, but over what Lio doesn't know. Other than the fact that she has to see him, maybe. 

"Out." She snaps, tugging his wrists out to trap them in shackles. She also puts a collar around his neck, cold and sharp around the edges, which is attached to a leash. Lio allows it, because he has to, throwing a last look at Thyma before he's tugged out of the cell. 

The daylight is blinding. There are so many people outside milling around, staring at him when he passes and whispering to each other that he feels self conscious. He represents something here, and he doesn't ever want to look weak. Difficult when his hair is greasy and unbrushed, and skin sallow from the malnourishment and lack of light, but he keeps his head held high and expression unreadable. 

He arrives at the big tent - the same one he was brought to on the first day - and all hell breaks loose. An explosion is triggered from behind the tent, with streaks of flame colouring the sky as fire rains down onto the camp from a familiar dragon, Dallas.

People are screaming and trying to put the fires out, but they're Promean artes and they aren't so easily extinguished. Lio's handler, Aina he thinks, immediately tightens his leash and tries to use him as a hostage but Lio has been waiting for this. He heats up the shackles until they break, fragments turning to embers and dissipating into the air. 

"Boss!" Twin calls come from the side, and Lio sees his generals, Gueira and Meis, running towards him. They're both armoured up, so the sight is mildly comical in how they pick Lio up and toss him into the air, away from Aina who is loading up her rifle and readying shots at the trio. 

Her bullets bounce off the Burnish plate, no match for Gueira's bulk, and Lio turns their attention to getting out. The chaos is their home, and Lio feels the flames welcome him back after spending so long in the cold.

He directs them to the holding cell, so they can rescue Thyma as well, but waiting there is not just Galo Thymos, but Kray Foresight as well. 

"See, Galo? This is what happens when you give them mercy." Kray says, shaking his head. 

"I think you have more things to worry about right now, Kray Foresight!" Lio tries to catch his attention from his seat on Gueria's shoulder, signalling to Meis from behind his back to use the distraction to get Thyma.

"Ah, Lio Fotia! I had come all the way to see you, only for you to run amok just as it was time." Looking closer, Kray has a staff pointed at Galo's back, hidden by his furs. "I was just telling Galo that he had committed treason in letting you-" Kray takes a breath, as if trying to calm down. "-letting you  _ live _ ."

Lio pauses, and Kray smiles. 

"As I thought. You'd gone and done it again, getting more invested in someone who doesn't give a rat's ass about you." He says, and Galo visibly deflates. It's suddenly a personal conversation that Lio was not privy to beforehand, and he feels like he's intruding, except treason is punishable by death in Promepolis and Kray is threatening them both. 

Threatening Lio is fine. He expected that. But Galo is a hopeless romantic who rolled badly when it came to soulmates, who spared Lio's life, who is a Promepolitan paladin dedicated to serving Kray himself. It makes Lio  _ angry _ .

"Fuck you." Lio says, summoning all the Burnish flame he can muster into his sword and throwing himself into Kray, hoping to separate him from Galo. 

Kray tries to fire with his staff before Lio lands, but Lio's reactions are faster and wraps the wand in flame, causing it to blow back in recoil and sending Kray stumbling. 

"You cockroach," he says, shaking his staff to disperse Lio's flame. "I'm getting tired of this."

Lio stabs forwards, undeterred, which Kray parries with his staff and throws him off with a flick of the wrist. It's almost comical how easy he makes it seem, but Lio isn't laughing. 

"Lio!" Galo catches him, and holds on, not letting Lio get up. 

"Let me go!" Lio grits, struggling against Galo's grip.

"Go on, Galo." Kray smiles again, pointing his staff at the two of them. "Make me proud."

But Galo doesn't move, and Kray's smile drops. "I have to do everything myself." He says, firing at them both. 

Lio manages to throw up a shield, but the blast pushes them back regardless and Kray is already aiming to go again. Before he can, Meis reappears and scoops them both up and jumps onto Gueira to make their escape, who had completed the summons for his dragon at last.

"Thyma?" Lio asks once they're in the air and away from the camp, voice weak.

"Got her, Boss." Meis says. 

"Asses?" 

"Covered." Gueira waves up a hand, which Meis slaps down. 

"You're driving." 

"Miami's cool, knows where she's going." Gueira says and the dragon croons in reply. 

"Uh." Galo pipes up from where he's holding onto Lio. "Hello." 

"Aw shit, you got the Knight." Gueira moans.

"He was holding onto Lio!" Meis answers defensively. 

"It's fine, we wanted to bring him." Lio tries to mediate.

"I'm a Paladin!" Galo says, and everyone sighs, Gueira turning back around to 'drive'.

Meis, in the meantime, snatches Lio from Galo's arms with a dirty glare, earning an annoyed noise from Lio for being manhandled. "Dude,"

"He's not worthy to touch you." Meis grumbles, patting Lio's hair gently, which Lio only allows because there had been moments in the past few days where he thought that he'd never see Meis again- a mutual feeling, by the way Meis is holding him a little tighter than usual. 

"Too late for that." Lio mutters quietly, but not quietly enough to be missed. 

Meis picks Lio up again, but this time he's slapped away as there's a line, and being handled like a doll is where Lio draws it. He bears his neck, showing Meis the mark, and watches his face morph into horror. 

Galo shies away when Meis' gaze-turned-glare is pointed directly at him, and holds up his wrist (and the matching ring of fire around it) as a defense.

"The reason there's something for you to save is because of him." Lio says, as an addendum. 

"I'm Galo Thymos, Paladin- err, ex-paladin?" Galo frowns, looking suddenly lost. 

"So, what?" Meis asks, still glaring daggers at Galo. "You're suddenly okay with the dude who almost killed you? I know how soulmarks work, Lio, and to have one around your neck is not the most meet-cute scenario."

"It's, uh, complicated." Lio waves his hand, trying to dismiss it despite being the one to bring it up. "I'm tired. We're on Miami. Can this not wait?" 

"What's going on?" Gueira interrupts while Meis is stubbornly not replying. "I heard Miami."

"Fine. We'll talk when we arrive." Meis says, and calls out to Gueira to not worry, but the rest of the ride is quiet and tense, with Meis shooting daggers at Galo, who is nervously glancing at Lio, and Thyma looking painfully uncomfortable.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello!! You'd think that being off work sick for three weeks means productive writing, but you'd be wrong. Regardless, please enjoy this chapter :).

It's nightfall by the time they arrive in Fennel and Lio is awoken from his impromptu nap. They've landed near the home they use when they're off duty, which is more a comfortable cave than a building; a common dwelling in Fennel which is a village at the base of the eponymous volcano. 

Meis drags Galo while Gueira supports a wilting Lio, and Thyma follows diligently. Lio feels a little bad that she's been dragged with them, but it's not exactly like she can go home, unless she wants to get arrested again.

Galo is thrown into the beanbag chair that's a little too squishy and no one but Lio likes to sit on and Meis looms over him, Gueira joining in because he likes to loom. 

Lio watches from the side and goes to sit on the couch, patting the space next to him for Thyma to sit as well, because he's polite. 

"Why would Boss want us to bring you along?" Gueira starts, stabbing a finger at Galo's chest. Meis knows why, but the way he's looking at Galo means he wants to hear it from Galo himself. 

"I- err, we're soulmates?" He says, holding up his wrist and pointing at it. Gueira squints at the mark before realising the implication and swings over to look at Lio.

"He's marked you?" He cries, somehow sounding both disbelieving and disappointed. Lio brushes some hair aside to let them have a good look at his neck for what feels like the fiftieth time.

"Each other, actually." Lio rolls his eyes and shrugs.

"You marked him  _ there _ ?!" Gueira screeches, going a higher pitch than Lio had ever heard him use before and setting fire to himself. 

"Right?" Meis agrees, egging him on. 

"You dumbass! Were you trying to kill him?" 

"Actually, yes?" Galo interrupts looking thoroughly uncomfortable and sweating either from the scrutiny or the heat building up from Gueira. 

"That's right. You're a Knight of Promepolis." Meis nods, and summons a fire of his own. "That's decided then." 

"Lio?" Galo is frantically looking at Lio, which Lio finds pretty entertaining but alas, enough is enough. 

"Guys, you can clearly see I'm still here. Nothing's decided." He says calmly, and despite the low volume of his voice, Meis and Gueira release their flames immediately. "He spared me long enough for you guys to come for me." Lio turns to Galo, ensuring they have eye contact before continuing. "And now we've repaid you in kind." 

"What do you want to do then, Boss?" Meis asks, backing off but keeping an eye on Galo, who is still a threat by all means, but he seems to be having issues of his own.

"I can't go back, can I?" He says, barely above a whisper, the full reality hitting him all at once. Lio has never seen a heart break before, but he thinks he sees it in Galo, in the way the corners of his mouth twitch downwards but try to remain a smile, or the way he blinks rapidly to push back tears. They're watching someone lose everything, and all they can do is stare. 

Even Gueira takes a step away, unsure of what to do.

"There has to be a misunderstanding, Kray would never, he, he saved me." Galo says, though Lio is having a hard time following. 

"He was going to have you punished for treason." He says, carefully. "That would be a death sentence." 

"I  _ know _ ." Galo croaks, head dropping into his hands. 

Lio gets up, nudging Meis and Gueira aside so he can kneel down at Galo's level. 

"I will not keep you prisoner, and you do not know any of our secrets. If you want, we can drop you off to a border town and you can start anew." He reaches for Galo's hands and gives it a squeeze, quietly berating himself for the kindness he's giving out for free. It's not fair, that this is the way it's turned out, and he needs to pause to take a deep breath before continuing. "We don't have a grudge against you if you are no longer a Paladin of the Kingdom."

Galo doesn't respond, but he does give Lio a squeeze back, wrapping his large palms to entirely cover Lio's dainty hands. 

"I'll let you think about it." Lio says, breaking the silence. He pulls his hands back and straightens up, looking around at everyone in the room. 

There's a general aura of tiredness, so with a sigh, Lio suggests they retire for the night. He assigns rooms to prevent any bickering, leaving no space to argue: Galo will spend the night in Lio's room, Thyma in the guest room, and the rest of them in Meis and Gueria's room.

Once the guests are settled in, Lio crawls into the bed, preheated by Gueira and Meis. It's so warm and familiar he could cry, a comforting weight on both sides that cling to him as if he is to disappear at any time. And he almost did. 

"Thanks." He says quietly into the night, though none of them are asleep yet.

"No problem, Boss." Gueira squeezes him, "We'd follow you anywhere." 

"I can't believe Lio Fotia has a soulmate." Meis mumbles into Lio's hair. "A dumb Promepolitan paladin no less." 

"Right?" Gueira laughs, propping himself up slightly to gesture with his hands. "But he's not bad looking!"

"Babe!" Meis gasps, mock-scandalised. "I'm hurt!"

"Can you guys have your domestic over something else please." Lio reminds them of his presence, a little exasperated that he has to, considering he's in between the two. 

"It's not a domestic! I have eyes. He doesn't have a shirt. It's maths." Gueira defends himself, but isn't able to keep a straight face for long and dissolves into laughter, Meis following suit with giggles of his own. 

They're teasing him, Lio knows it, but his cheeks warm up in a blush all the same. Luckily, it's dark and no one can see it. "Nngh." He says, intelligently.

"Aw Boss, I'm sorry." Gueira pats him on the head.

"I'm not." Meis says, settling back down. "I don't trust him."

"You don't have to." Lio replies, huffing. "I don't either just because destiny decides we're two halves of a whole or whatever."

"Good." Meis nods approvingly. "He still tried to kill you." 

"That was following orders though." Lio says, "And he didn't follow through." 

"So he can't even follow orders," 

"Meis, stop being awkward." Lio frowns. "I don't know how I feel anyway, everything's happened so fast. I thought I hated him, he captured me and locked me up, but he still wanted to get to know me." 

"Sounds weird." Gueira muses when Lio doesn't continue. "But you don't have to decide what you feel now." 

"Yeah. I guess." Lio hums, not entirely placated, but the conversation drifts undeterred into sleep.

The next morning is not a good one. Lio is a light sleeper by necessity and though he goes back to sleep when Meis drags Gueira out of bed, the ensuing ruckus that starts up in the kitchen makes him drag his feet out of bed. 

Galo is not quite tied up in the chair, but he is backed up on it by Meis and Gueira playing with flames in front of him. By the sounds of it, they're grilling him over what happened on the day off Lio's capture. 

"I'm telling you, I don't know how they knew!" Galo is saying, crossing his arms and lips in an almost-pout. 

"But you went?" Gueira says, "You knew where to go."

"I was _ assigned _ -" Galo retorts, but is interrupted by the flame in Meis's hand bursting with a bang. "Look you can threaten me all you want but I'm telling you they didn't tell me anything."

"Guys, stop." Lio walks into the room, and both generals stand up straight and face him. Lio notes the impressed look on Galo's face before addressing Meis and Gueira directly. "He doesn't know, and he's too stupid to lie." 

"That's true…" Meis says, contemplative, while Galo squeaks out a  _ 'hey!' _ from behind. 

"Sorry I meant honest." Lio waves a hand, dismissive. "Galo, move that chair back to the table. I'll make some breakfast." 

At the mention of food all three perk up and go sit at the table, with Galo politely picking up his chair and placing it gently down. It looks a little like he was sitting at the table before he was bullied back against the wall, or maybe it was set-up. Lio tries not to think too hard about it and pulls five cans of soup out of the cupboard. 

They don't often use this house, so there's no fresh food anywhere, but any food that isn't bread and gruel is a bonus in Lio's books. He pours it all into a saucepan and lights the stove with a small arte, stirring idly until it's bubbling and dishes it out into four bowls, covering the pot so Thyma can have some whenever she wakes. 

Miraculously, all three sat at the table are still behaving when he's done, although it looks like Gueira wants to say something really badly, and Meis looks like he's eaten something sour. Galo, surprisingly, is on his best behaviour and thanks Lio eagerly. 

Thyma enters the kitchen just as they start, so Lio gets back up and dishes get a bowl too. Conversion around the table is nonexistent, and the atmosphere is heavy and awkward. 

"Thyma, did you want to go to the Fennel Burnish Centre? They have support for newly awakened Burnish, and you can probably enroll in some classes if you want to learn Promean Artes." Lio says, breaking the silence with what he hopes is a safe topic. 

"I remember you telling me about it…" she replies, putting her fingers together. "I would like to try, yes, but weren't you all leaving?" 

"Yes! We have to go back to HQ!" Gueira bursts, earning an elbow from Meis.

"I'm happy for you to stay here if you have trouble finding a place to stay. I need to report back anyway, I think Gueira and Meis do too…" Lio trails off, a headache coming on over the thought of all the paperwork and interviews he will potentially have to attend over being kidnapped. He'd never been kidnapped before, but surely they would want to know the details, right? It's what he would do if anyone in his squad came back. Too bad Promepolitans are fond of killing the Burnish, so few rarely make it back to Promare. 

"Uh, boss?" Gueira waves a hand in front of Lio's face, pulling him out of his thoughts. 

"Sorry, I'm still tired." Lio looks down at his bowl, which is not even half empty. He'd gotten so used to eating so little that even this is too much, but he doesn't want to waste it. 

"He's gone again." Meis says, and Lio looks up to four concerned stares. Shit, has he really been spacing out?

"I'm fine." Lio frowns, not understanding what the fuss is. He's got a lot on his mind. 

Gueira and Meis look ready to argue, Thyma is eating her soup very determinedly and looking extremely uncomfortable, and Galo… Galo also looks concerned. Lio remembers when he had shot down Galo's olive branch back in Promepolis, and he feels… something. He's not sure what it is. Anger at Galo making presumptions on how he's feeling? Embarrassed at the pity? Frustrated with himself? 

God. He wants to voice it but he doesn't know how to do it in a way that won't worry them more.

"Boss…" Meis says, getting up to comfort him, but he doesn't want comfort right now. Lio stands up, too, head down.

"I'm going to get some air." He says stiffly, only pausing to put some shoes on. Behind him, he can hear people arguing over who should follow, but to his surprise it's Thyma who tells them to leave him alone, firmly and softly. He has to remember to thank her later. 

It's not like he's feeling claustrophobic, in fact, it's a little bit the opposite. Spending such a long time in a tight, confined place makes the open air a scary thing. The wind feels rough on his skin, and not being able to see all around him makes him nervous, but Lio bites his lip and takes a walk down to the town market; a familiar route, one which he takes frequently when he's in Fennel. 

Lio had hoped that the fresh air would make him feel better, but now that yesterday's adrenaline has worn out, he feels vulnerable and exposed even though there's _ no one _ behind him, not even Gueira trying to follow him. It gets to a point where he just--sits. Back to a wall, he takes some deep breaths, and puts his head between his knees. 

At least he's showered and changed clothes since yesterday, he thinks idly as he tries to get himself back together. The town is ten minutes more by foot, and he's fifteen minutes out from home, so it would be faster to walk into town where people can see him and he can force himself to not be a _ fucking mess _ and check up on how the nearby towns are doing on the papers. 

Mind made up, and another five minutes later, Lio gets up and brushes himself off, quickly covering himself in flame to burn and blow the dirt away. The walk into town is uneventful, but as soon as he makes it three steps in he's recognised. 

"Boss!" Someone comes up to him, grabbing his hand and putting their forehead on it as a sign of respect. Other people are clamouring to do the same thing, all speaking at once, and Lio can barely catch what anyone is saying. 

"We're so glad to have you back--"

"What could we do without you--"

"I knew you'd be back--"

"Please," Lio says, louder than he normally would to try and be heard. He knows that though the majority of these people are burnish, they are still civilians, and he can not speak to them like he speaks to his soldiers. "Thank you for the well wishes." 

Luckily, they get the message and back off to say least give him space to breathe. Lio can feel himself get overwhelmed, his head entering a strange state where he doesn't feel entirely present. 

"Boss, we heard about the Promepolitan boy." A middle aged man butts in, catching Lio's attention because what could they have possibly heard about Galo from.

"Oh?" He says, unsure, prompting the man to carry on, but it is another person who continues. 

"Oh yes, boss, news of your secret lover has spread." It's a woman, this time, holding a newspaper and waggling her eyebrows at him. "To be young!" 

"Can… can I see that please?" Lio asks, gesturing at the paper.

"Of course! You can keep it to frame the article if you want. If only I could find me a woman like this…" she hands him the paper and fans herself, looking wistfully into the distance.

"Thanks." Lio says, and begins the process to extract himself from the crowd, paper weighing heavily in his hand.

"Woah, hey," Galo leans backwards when Lio enters the lounge, but he doesn't look scared. He looks confused, maybe. Lio is fairly sure he's on fire, so he doesn't blame Galo's reaction. 

"Where is everyone?" He asks, looking around. 

"Gueira took Thyma to the Burnish center and Meis said something about reporting." 

"And they left you alone?" Lio knows that Galo isn't a threat, but he knows his generals better than that and they're both better safe than sorry.

"They chained me to the floor?" Galo answers, but it sounds like a question. He lifts a leg, and a bright rope of blue fire follows, attached to his ankle and the ground. "I think. I haven't tried going far."

"Okay." Lio says, and the rope bursts into embers. Galo jumps to the side, shaking his leg, looking at it in wonder. Lio gives him a few seconds, but Galo does not take advantage of the situation and overpower him and run away, so Lio counts it as a win. In fact, he continues sitting on the sofa, like a well behaved puppy, bouncing a leg.

Lio throws himself on his beanbag, sinking into it. He's not _ mad _ at the gossip surrounding his reputation, not really. He's just feeling unbalanced, and like he's spending precious time faffing around when he could be in the war room, assigning teams to protect their borders and gathering intel from their spies. 

Cognitively, he knows that there are other people who do the same job as him, who are older and have more experience, but Lio has passion and drive to make up for his age and right now all that is going nowhere and he's ready to explode. 

He makes the mistake of looking over at Galo, who is still looking at him with something that resembles concern and before he can stop himself, Lio lashes.

"Why are you looking like that? Shouldn't you be more worried about yourself, stuck in enemy territory?" He regrets it as soon as he says it, but he holds his ground, not taking it back.

Galo is quiet, face serious, and the lack of answer angers Lio more.

"What is it? Why aren't you scared? Or trying to escape?" He presses, getting up and standing over Galo, who stays put, looking open and exactly what Lio doesn't expect, even when he creates a fire right by Galo's head. The other man is sweating, sure, and looks scared at last but he's not reacting and he's not fighting back. He's just sitting there. 

"Should I be? Scared of you that is?" Galo asks, and Lio's flame shoots up in response, flaring like a firework inside.

"Yes!" Lio yells, "You're- you've spent years training to kill us, instead you spare me and now you have  _ nothing _ ."

"But your fire, it doesn't burn." Galo says, just as easily as before. "And you're wrong: I have you. You wouldn't leave me without knowing I'll be okay, you're not that kind of person." 

"You're wrong, you don't even know me--" 

"I'm not, I've seen you with Thyma, and with your friends, and with me, yesterday. You're kind, Lio." And he looks so sure of his truth, so earnest, that Lio isn't sure how to reply. 

"I… I don't understand how you're not--" Lio waves his arms up and down, not sure how to articulate. "Running for the hills, or something?"

"To where? I don't have a family." Galo says, as his expression finally falters. "Being a paladin was all I had." 

The revelation takes the air out of Lio's lungs, and he deflates. It feels like his legs won't keep him upright anymore, so he turns and sits on the sofa, next to Galo. "Oh." He says, at last. 

"Sorry, I didn't mean it as a pity thing, I just--" Galo shrugs his shoulders, also struggling for words. 

"You don't have to tell me." Lio tries to reassure him, but Galo shakes his head.

"No no, it's not a secret or anything." Galo takes a deep breath before starting. "My parents worked in the castle, for the king. They died in the blaze that also claimed the Queen's life ten years ago. The Prince, Kray, saved me and pulled me out of the fire. I've been in his service since."

"I'm sorry." Lio says, and he is. Even if he hates Prince Foresight for what he has done in Promare, to the burnish, if he saved Galo then perhaps he was good once. 

"It's alright. It's all moot now." Galo sighs, and leans back to stare at the ceiling. 

"I'm sorry." Lio says again, because he does not know what else to say. It's not his fault that they're soulmates, but it's not Galo's either. 

Now he's mad, not just at himself, but for Galo and their circumstances. Here he is, still a stranger, yet Galo trusts him with to hand him this part of himself and Lio… Lio had slammed down the offer to get to know each other so hard he winces thinking about it.

"I brought a newspaper back from the market." Lio breaks the silence, holding out the crumpled paper like an offering. "We're on it."

"We are? Why?" Galo perks up and takes it, but it's a muted excitement. 

"Apparently we've had a secret affair which culminated in my capture and our subsequent escape together." Lio explains, avoiding Galo's eyes. 

"Oh that's way more romantic." Galo says, sounding way too easy about it as his eyes flick over the page.

"You don't feel weird about it?" Lio asks, frowning. 

"What? No. I've been on papers plenty of times." He flicks through it, looking for their article in full. "Since I'm close to Kray, I've had all sorts said about me. This is nothing."

"Oh." 

"You've never had anything like this before? Aren't you like, super famous?" Galo asks, glancing over at Lio. 

"No. I'm highly ranked and do a lot of reconnaissance, it's best that my face not be public." Lio leans over to look at the newspaper with Galo, studying the artist's impression of the two of them riding into the horizon on a dragon that looks vaguely like Miami. "This is bad." 

"That's true, I didn't recognise you when we, err, met. I kinda expected Lio Fotia to be some gnarled middle aged wall of a man." Galo hums, and Lio bristles.

"What, why?" 

"Kray got really worked up over you, y'know. And he's pretty big and formidable, so I imagined you to be like… Evil Kray." Galo explains, unhelpfully.

"Hm." Lio crosses his arms and faces away. He's a little self conscious about his appearance; there's a reason why he tends to hide under armour most of the time, but he knows that he's not what people expect when they hear his name and it's not just Galo who thinks that way.

"Does that bother you?" Galo nudges him, and Lio makes the mistake of looking and seeing concern back on Galo's face. 

"No, it's fine." He says, mouth tight. Galo doesn't look convinced, but he lets it drop regardless, something Lio is thankful for.

Meis returns first, looking harried. He'd also seen Lio's face plastered all over the papers and gossip columns, and while it's not a huge secret where they are in Fennel, the fact that it's also all over Promepolis is an issue. 

Lio had been excellent at going undetected through the border, exchanging information with spies and informants in Promepolis (in fact it was on one of those occasions that Galo had caught him) because he was quiet, fast, and fit into luggage containers. Now, it might be a case of delegating that task to someone else because he's too conspicuous. 

There had also been another attack on a village and they're short on hands for handing out aid. Lio feels guilty, knowing that the information he would have obtained had he made it to the rendezvous helped prevent some of the losses, but he bites his tongue and focuses on what he can to rather than what he could have done. 

Gueira is roped into the catch up when he returns with Thyma, who is left out due to the sensitivity of what they're discussing with Galo. They decide to leave for HQ that night, and though there's not a huge need for the elite strike force in the aftermath of a disaster, Lio doesn't want to be late responding if there's another incident. 

"Galo, do you want to come with us so we can drop you off somewhere?" Lio asks, stepping into the guest room where Thyma and Galo are playing a card game on the bed. 

"What? Where are you going?" He asks back, throwing his cards down.

"Back to HQ." Lio says, not wanting to give any information he doesn't have to.

"Can't I come with you?" 

"Why? I'm literally fighting against Promepolis. Your people. Potentially people you know." Lio deadpans, reminding Galo again of what he actually does, but Galo is undeterred.

"It's not like they don't think I'm a traitor already." He says, bitterly, before continuing. "But you do it to help people, right? I can help. I'm trained in first aid and as a field medic. I'll keep out of the way of actual fighting but…" and he pauses, as if searching for the right words to say. "I want to help the innocents." 

Lio raises his eyebrows, surprised at Galo's wishes. He supposes it won't hurt, and it's not like he needs to know anything to be tending to the injured. They are always in need of more hands, after all. "Okay." 

"Okay?" Galo asks, looking like he wasn't expecting Lio to agree.

"Yes, okay. We're setting off in fifteen." Lio turns to leave, but he whips back around. "I guess you're welcome to come, too, Thyma." He offers, because why not at this point.

She seems surprised to be spoken to, and Lio feels bad for neglecting her the past day or so; she's lost everything and become something she has been taught to fear, and up until recently resigned to wasting away in a cell with Lio. "I've already enrolled in some classes in the new Burnish centre." She says, but she looks torn.

"You can stop by and tell them you've changed your mind. They won't be closed." Lio offers, and she nods.

"Alright. I'll do that then." Thyma says, standing up and gathering the cards into one neat pile. She looks thankful, and a part of Lio is glad that she agreed as he goes to update his generals on their new recruits.

Meis summons Miami for them to travel by, a midnight blue dragon whose scales have an incandescent shimmer in Fennel's warm street lights. Gueira and Meis are less agreeable to the sudden company, but to be fair, it's not the first time they've picked people up to join their cause because Lio likes strays. 

They're greeted warmly at HQ, which is built into a mountain and mostly underground. His squad is excited to meet Galo, for whatever reason, and Lio has to use his hardest stare and pull rank to prevent them from mobbing the man. Said man is awkwardly hanging at the back, trying not to openly gape at the Prometech that lines the walls.

Admittedly, the artifacts sparkle and spit out colorful fire, so Lio understands the fascination. 

Thyma is whisked away to the new recruits dorm to get her some proper clothing that doesn't belong to Lio (too formal and too much leather), or from Gueira and Meis (too large). She looks mildly overwhelmed, but Lio is dragged away by to briefing before he can even see where they take Galo, never mind reassure Thyma. 

Lio's memory is excellent, and he's good at breaking events down to what is important, so his first meeting is relatively quick. There's some mission reports to write up, and a few people to speak to off the back of it, but Lio isn't feeling as drained as he thought he would be. Perhaps he's slipping back into his role of squad leader too easily, or maybe he's boxing up the recent trauma of being captured into the depths of his mind to be looked at later. 

Unfortunately, the meetings are downhill after that. He also finds out that they never did make contact with the informant that Lio was supposed to meet up with on the day of his capture, and nothing has been heard of since. It's a fairly huge loss, one which makes Lio feel personally responsible somehow, despite not actually knowing what went wrong, or who squealed. 

It's early morning by the time he returns to his room, and he's been awake for far too long. Luckily, being squad leader has its perks because he doesn't have to share with anyone else, and the room itself is bigger than the other singles. 

Everything is exactly as he left it, so he doesn't bother turning on the lights as he bumbles around getting undressed for bed. Picking up after himself is tomorrow-Lio's problem. 

Now-Lio also has a problem, but it's not one he's aware of until he slips into bed and the dip in the bed he makes rolls a warm weight on top of him, spooking Lio wide awake. 

He pushes the weight off, too hard, and his hair sets alight, allowing him to see what is happening: Galo, half naked in his bed, spiky hair drooping and mused from sleep, unfocused blue eyes triedly blinking back at him. 

"What the fuck." Lio says, keeping himself burning as an intimidation tactic, as if it will make Galo run off. 

"What the heck?" Galo says, waking up very quickly, and scrambling backwards and falling off the bed, taking the duvet with him.

"What are you doing in my bed?" Lio whisper-shouts, because it's early and people will be trying to sleep, and he's _ considerate _ like that. Unlike this oaf who has stolen his bed.

Galo untangles himself and sits up, poking his head up over the bed from the floor. "They said I could use this room!"

Lio opens his mouth to retort, but finds he has nothing to say to that. He extinguishes his flames, hoping that the darkness will mask the furious blush that he's now sporting. 

"The room looked empty, I didn't think they'd give me your room." Galo's voice is gravelly from sleep, although it sounds like he's not been having a good time of it. Lio, too, feels this tiredness deeply in his soul.

So he takes a chance. 

"Whatever. We can deal with it in the morning." He says, and pulls the duvet back into the bed, laying down on one side. 

He doesn't see Galo's reaction, and there's a pause where he doesn't quite hold his breath waiting to see what he's going to do before Galo gets into bed next to him. It's a little awkward, both of them not wanting to breach each other's space, but Lio is too tired to care. 

"Goodnight." He turns his head to look at Galo when saying this, and Galo returns with one of his own, though his eyes are already closed.

"Goodnight, Lio."


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello!! I have actually split this chapter in half, partially to get it out faster, and partially because I severely underestimated how much it would take to get to the points I've outlined... which makes me feel better that there isn't currently a definite chapter number. 
> 
> Regardless, enjoy :)

Lio doesn't get to sleep more than a few hours; an alarm blares on his nightstand, and that's it to his rest. He does wake up comfortable, at least, in the warm envelope of Galo's embrace, which he has to extract himself from trying not to think about the implications.

Galo himself also wakes with him, detaching himself from Lio with a blush that mirrors his own and determinedly avoiding looking at Lio's bare shoulders. 

"What's that for?" He asks as Lio silences the alarm with a wave of his hand. 

"New intelligence. Gotta go." Lio grunts, tripping out of bed and pulling on the clothes he had discarded in a trail towards the door. "You can sleep more." 

"Can I… help?" 

"No, sensitive information. Sorry." Lio is already at the door, pulling on his boots. "Breakfast is served at the caf until 11." He adds, absently.

"Okay. Bye then." 

"Bye." He gives Galo a wave before stepping out, closing the door behind him. On autopilot, he makes it to the Mad Burnish squad room where the two members of the night shift are prepping the briefing. 

They greet him, give him the report they received: Promepolitans have breached their South border and seem to be en route to Marrow, a farming village where most of Promare's produce is grown. It's the first time they've reached this far without being noticed, and Lio notices with some guilt that the village attacked yesterday is part of the warpath this Promepolitan unit is razing. It makes sense this is their next step. 

More of his squad filter in at various states of awakeness, but to their credit they are all focused and alert. 

"Boss." Gueira arrives with Meis, saluting him with two fingers at his forehead. "You look great."

"Thanks." Lio says, and then narrows his eyes as he notices that Gueira is not being entirely genuine. He'll let Gueira have this one, because time is a little tight. "Basst's team have reported back and they've spotted the Promepolitans advancing towards Marrow. Do we know where Lina's team are right now?" 

"Two hours South of Marrow, Boss, giving aid to the destroyed village." One of the night shift members, Eupar, pipes up. "Team Abel are the next closest, but they're currently fetching supplies from further North."

"Okay. Send message to Lina to finish up and head straight to Marrow. I'll intercept the enemy." Lio decides. 

"No," Meis says, putting his foot down. "You said that last time, and look where that landed you." 

"I'm better now." Lio frowns and crosses his arms. "You can come with me." 

"You're exhausted and malnourished, and you were suffering from burnout when you were captured which would _ not _ have helped it." Meis steps up to Lio and prods him in the ribs, making Lio wince. 

"I thought we agreed not to mention it." Lio says, quietly, just shy of petulant.

"We agreed not to tell people who didn't need to know because it would affect your image and decrease morale." Gueira butts in, and great, they're ganging up on him. 

"You were put in recon for a reason." Meis continues.

"I'm  _ good _ at recon--" 

"Recon  _ only _ for a reason!" Meis ignores Lio's defense. "And  _ look _ , you're worse off for it. We know you've not summoned Detroit because you can't." 

Which, again, is true, but Lio feels so _ useless _ right now and he knows even in the state he's in he stands a chance if he plays everything perfectly. And he will, because he has to. 

"I can't believe you're still considering it." Meis says, shaking his head. 

"I can't just keep sitting here doing nothing." 

"I don't know what to tell you, Boss. You getting captured was a huge hit to us, firepower and morale-wise. People were starting to give up, and now you're back we can't risk that again." Meis admits, making Lio pause. He hasn't considered what people who looked up to him would have thought of the situation, he was so wrapped up in feeling sorry for himself. "I can see you understand."

"I do." Lio wants to argue, but he knows Meis is right. It's unfair that people put so much value on his life when there are others fighting for the same cause, risking more than Lio is allowed to, just because he is a stronger Burnish. 

Every one of their lives matter, and it frustrates Lio that somehow, his is more important. He's not even that great at making tactical decisions, or managing people, it's because of the support of those behind him that they even have a chance against the Foresight invasion. 

"... Is that alright?" Eupar asks him, and Lio can tell from everyone's concerned faces that he's missed the conversation. 

"Sorry, could you run that by me again?" He says, sheepishly, mad himself for allowing his attention to drift in such a time sensitive situation. 

"I knew this was a bad idea." Gueira says, running a hand over his face. 

"I thought having yesterday off would allow him to recover." Meis continues, as if Lio is not here. Although, considering the topic of conversation, it's not entirely unfair. "Lio, I think you need to go back to the medbay. Spacing out periodically isn't normal."

"I'm, I've just got a lot on my mind." Lio protests, getting ready to dig his heels in. 

"You do, that's understandable, but it also means you can't be out in the field." Gueira says, using his serious-yet-concerned voice that he only pulls on Lio if he's scared. "We shouldn't have even let you do recon, you've been having these episodes since you took on a Promepolitan guard by yourself and was bed bound for two weeks." 

"That was just the… the burnout, though." 

"And here we are, two months later and you're  _ still _ exhibiting burnout symptoms." Meis points out, and makes an executive decision to pick up Lio and throw him over a shoulder. Lio, of course, does not appreciate this and tries to fight it by aggressive wriggling, but Meis's hold is firm. 

"We've still got a situation." Lio says, trying to bring the conversation back to the alarm that woke them in the first place.

"I'll take care of it as your second." Gueira says from behind them as Meis walks off with Lio in the direction of the medbay. 

Lio hates being stationary. He can do it, sure, in meetings or at important dinners, or public appearances, but he  _ hates _ it. He's worried about the teams sent out to deal with the forces, how maybe if he were there, the injuries would be a little fewer, the members a little less traumatised. 

Instead he's basically grounded. The doctor took one look at him, and secured two seals onto his wrists, preventing him from casting anything. He was scolded for overexerting himself by using artes through seals, too, because it's dangerous and the amount of power needed is exponential to overcome it. Lio knows this already but pretends to be sorry about it to try and make the telling off end.

The other unfortunate thing about being in the medbay is that Galo is here. True to his word, he is wearing the green bib that trainee medics do and was diligently shadowing a nurse before he noticed Lio in the room. 

"Lio!" He yells, and is immediately told off, but it looks like his supervisor allows him to come over. 

"Galo." Lio greets, feeling a little bit trapped. "How is training going?" 

"Great! There are just some things to keep in mind when the patient is Burnish, but other than temperature most of it matches what I know anyway." Galo chatters excitedly. It's actually nice for Lio to see him like this, makes him feel a little less bad about the situation. 

"That's great." Lio says, nodding. "I'm glad you're able to fit in here." 

"Yeah…" Galo drifts off, finally seeing Lio's seals. "You're not here to see me, are you?" 

"... No." He admits, pulling his sleeves over his wrists to try and cover them. Galo's expression falls, a stab of guilt piercing Lio's chest. 

"I shouldn't have presumed you'd care about what I did, God." He says, tearing his eyes away from Lio. They stand in silence until Galo takes a deep breath and speaks again with a forced smile stretched over his lips. "I hope you're okay. I'll see you soon." 

He's turning around to leave, and Lio still hasn't figured out what to say to make things better. He doesn't even know why he wants to make things better; Galo is just some man who destiny has handed him, but he's also a man who chose to believe in that destiny and risk his life to see what is planned for him in it. 

"Galo, wait." Lio says, just loud enough for Galo to hear. "Fuck, I don't," 

Galo turns around, no longer smiling, yet somehow, the confused crease in his eyebrows is better than the fake expression he was wearing earlier. "You don't what?"

"I don't want you to go." Lio says. "If you have time, could you keep me company?"

It's amazing watching Galo light up, literally, his eyes shining with something that's almost hope. Lio can swear that even his hair perks up, standing straighter in the air. 

"Sure!" He comes back, taking Lio by the shoulders and steering him to a spare bed to sit on. Lio lets himself be led, keeping an eye on the other people in the room who suddenly seem interested in looking at things opposite to where Lio is.

Once they're sat down, Lio turns to Galo but avoids his eyes, embarrassed at what he's going to say. It takes him a few seconds to muster the courage, but Galo is patient and lets him take his time. 

"If you're still interested in getting to know each other… I'd like that."

"Of course I would!" 

"I'm sorry." Lio speaks quietly, head down.

"Lio…" Galo says, and reaches out to Lio, who takes his hands in his own. He holds Galo's hand and runs his fingers over the mark on Galo's wrist. It glows softly when he does and Lio watches, fascinated, at the gently undulating light under the surface of his skin. 

It makes the mark look alive, even though the shapes and colours are unchanged. 

"Can I?" Galo says, breaking Lio out of his reverie. He's got his free hand up by Lio's neck, asking permission to touch it. 

Lio breathes a laugh, and nods.

"What's so funny?" Galo asks as he touches Lio's marks with feather light fingers. 

"These marks aren't very romantic, are they?" He replies, leaning into Galo. He can't see his own mark, but he can see that Galo is transfixed by it. 

"Well, no." 

"But here we are." 

"Yeah. Here we are."

They should talk more, Lio realises. He barely knows Galo, but he's been so busy wrapped in himself that he hasn't seen just how little he knows about his soulmate. 

Does he even like the spicy Promean cuisine? Is he a morning person? What is his favourite colour? Lio realises, all at once looking at Galo's careful curiosity, that he wants to know everything. 

"What made you change your mind?" Galo stops messing with Lio's mark and leans back, staying close to Lio. 

"I've been unfair to you." Lio hums. "I didn't think you were suffering. No, that's wrong: I knew you were suffering, but I didn't think it had anything to do with me." 

"That's harsh." Galo frowns, but Lio continues.

"Soulmates never mattered to me. I've never met a matched pair before, and Promare's people matter more to me than anything. You were just another Promepolitan… but you're a person, too. You risked everything on a chance that we could have something, and even though I didn't have a say to it at first, you stuck to your guns and lived your life on those principles. I respect that." 

Galo doesn't respond right away, and Lio is scared he's said something wrong. He  _ was _ rather harsh, wasn't he? 

"You respect me?" 

"Yeah, dummy. That's what I just said." Lio pouts. He doesn't like repeating himself. 

"I'm flattered! Really!  _ The _ Lio Fotia!" Galo almost yells, catching the attention of everyone in the room again. Lio makes a  _ sshht _ noise, and Galo smiles sheepishly. "Sorry."

"It's alright." Lio rolls his eyes. "You're supposed to be enforcing the quiet rule, you work here now." 

"Ahh, but it's so boring sometimes." Galo whines. "You're just as bad as Aina." 

"That's your sniper friend, right?" Lio asks, remembering his pink haired companion. 

"Yeah! She looked after me in my first few months." Galo says. "She's kinda serious, but pretty fun outside of work."

"I wouldn't know about it." 

"I think you'd get along if it weren't for everything." Galo frowns, and the excitement is gone. "I wish we didn't have to fight."

"Me too." Lio agrees. The conversation meanders after that, until Galo is called back to his duties and Lio wanders back to his own quarters. 

He's tempted to go back to the war room, see if there are any updates, but that is unlikely as it's not even been a day since the initial report. Lio trusts his generals, and his squads, and despite all that he still worries. 

Meis had threatened him if he went back and worked when he is supposed to be resting, but he outranks Meis. The fact that the doctor said he'd be able to take the seals off sooner if he behaves himself is a much bigger deterrent. 

He ends up sleeping for the rest of the day, missing dinner by accident and only waking up briefly when Galo returns.

The next morning he is no more refreshed than he was yesterday; in fact, he feels worse for sleeping that long. Galo wakes him up by getting up, and though he leaves before Lio is out of bed, Lio follows suit and gets up properly for the day. 

A hush falls over the people in the cafeteria when Lio enters, and he is immediately suspicious. Everyone is looking at him with varying degrees of excitement, and it only takes one person to cheer before everyone is celebrating for… whatever reason.

"Congratulations, boss!" Someone shouts, and Lio smiles politely in response as he walks awkwardly through the crowd to get food. He's starving. 

"Congrats." The volunteer manning the food station says as he rations Lio his breakfast. 

"Thanks." Lio nods and speeds off as fast as his manners will allow. Before he's able to make it to the safety of the door, he makes eye contact with Thyma, who is waving at him from a table. 

"Lio!" She says as Lio puts his breakfast down on the table opposite her. 

"Thyma, good morning. Are you feeling better?" Lio greets, prodding at the flatbread he was given. 

"Yes. There are other new Burnish here, also from Promepolis." 

"That's good. I'm glad you're fitting in."

"It's thanks to you. Everyone else from Promepolis managed to get out before they were arrested, so I was the only one who's been in custody. It makes me some kind of hero to them, even though I don't think I've done anything special." She admits, also digging back into breakfast.

"I'm just glad that I was able to help." Lio says with a smile. And he is. It's all he wants from people who he's helped, to see them find and live their true lives.

"I, um, I also wanted to check if you knew about the rumour that's going around." She says this quietly, so that the people around them can not hear. Lio shakes his head, and she continues. "Someone from the medbay said you proposed to Galo yesterday." 

Lio stops eating. He puts down the ripped bread back onto the table and stares at his hands. Of course someone mistook their starting-to-get-along as a proposal. It was rather intimate, but… not in that way. He buries his face into his hands with a groan.

"Of course they did." 

"I thought so." Thyma says, and he gives Lio a pat on the head as he looks up. "I suppose it's easy to mistake, since I thought the same thing just because you were soulmates." 

"What is it with people and soulmates?" He asks, half rhetorically. "I don't hate him, but I don't love him either."

"I think people expect soulmates to be love at first sight, a magnetic pull towards the other person that they can't help but follow, rules be damned." 

"That's awfully poetic of you." Lio raises an eyebrow, straightening back up in his seat. 

"I think people are also just very tired and want a reason to celebrate." She adds with a cheeky smile. 

"Are you suggesting that I actually propose to him?" Lio asks, unsure if she's pulling his leg. 

She shrugs and takes another bite of her food. "I'm not saying you should. I'm just saying that there's a rumor going around that everyone else seems to believe in and they're just waiting for the two of you to announce the date. There are bets going on."

"I don't understand. I thought you would know what I really feel about Galo by now." Lio says, thinking back to their time together with nothing but each other's company. He had told her then about what he feels like soulmates, and she had disagreed with his viewpoint but understood. Granted their situations have changed now, and they are no longer waiting to be executed, so it's less dangerous to hope, to think about the future. 

"But you've changed your thoughts, even yesterday. Even the night we escaped. You were kind, and gave him more chances than you said you ever would." She points out, and Lio wonders how she can know just what to say to realise that he _ has _ changed and put it into words to make them real. 

"It's frivolous." He says instead, trying to divert the topic.

"Yeah, but it'll make people happy." 

Lio knows that Thyma doesn't mean to pressure him with her teasing, and they're still trying to find boundaries with where their relationship is now they aren't facing their imminent mortality, but her words stick in his mind even long after their conversation has moved on, and after still when he's back in the war room helping with information collation. 

Eupar is with him, sorting mission reports and notes. There have been some worrying reports from those inside Promepolis about supposed Burnish attacks; worrying because Promepolitans seem to think Promare is behind them, which they are resolutely not. Lio has made sure that they will not attack innocents unless provoked, and based on the reports, it's not any of his teams acting outside of orders. 

"Boss…" Eupar says, a few hours in. "I promised Gueira if you came in here to help out to at least make sure you took breaks."

Lio looks up, raising his eyebrows at them. "It's not been that long." 

"It's been pretty long for me at least." They say with a yawn. "Eon should be here soon to take over, I was wondering if you wanted to get some food." 

"I'm not hungry. I can wait here until Eon arrives, if you want to go early. I'll do the handover with her." Lio offers, turning his attention back to the pile of reports he's yet to go through. 

Eupar stays. Lio pretends that he doesn't see their worried expression, trying to concentrate on the task at hand. It's difficult, considering he was barely concentrating before they brought up taking a break. 

A few minutes after, Eon arrives, and Eupar goes over a summary of what new intelligence they've reviewed and updates on the teams currently out. Lio tries to keep his head down when it comes for them to leave, but Eupar is stubborn in following Gueria's directions to "look after" Lio. 

They don't quite pick him up themselves, but Lio doesn't feel like he has a choice in the matter when they leave to go to the caf together. It's not fair that Lio's artes are sealed and Eupar can still use theirs to light a literal fire under Lio to get him to move.

After they've picked up food, Eupar stumbles off to go sleep before their next shift, leaving Lio alone with food he's not particularly hungry for. 

He finds himself at the medbay, poking his head around to see if Galo is around. He's restless, Meis and Gueira are out on a mission and he's used up all his allocated work hours for the day already. 

A trainee Lio doesn't recognise spots him and she runs off whisper-shouting for Galo before Lio has even stepped foot into the room. Galo then appears, bright red and avoiding Lio's eyes. 

"Hi, Lio." He says, looking at the air above Lio's head. 

"Hi, Galo. So, you've heard?" Lio tries an awkward smile, walking up to Galo proper so they're face to face. 

"I! Yes?" Galo squeaks, which is honestly kind of cute. "The, um, proposal?" 

"Yes. The one we had. Have." Lio nods, also feeling himself getting embarrassed. 

"I can take lunch now, if you wanna, uh, talk about it." Galo looks over his shoulder at the nurse for confirmation, who gives him a thumbs up. 

"Great! That's great." Lio turns around, and starts walking back to their room, looking back occasionally to see if Galo is following. 

In the privacy of their own room, Galo buries his face in his hands and lets out a strangled noise. 

"I'm sorry." Lio says, because he doesn't know what else to say. "People here can get carried away, it's partially because good things happen so rarely now-" 

"It's okay," Galo cuts Lio off, looking at him for what feels like the first time today. "I think I get it. It's the soulmates thing, people expect that we're already, you know." 

"Dating? In love? Intimate?" Lio prompts, each suggesting making Galo's cheeks redder and redder. 

"Yeah, that." He says, before Lio can add more suggestions.

"So do you want to be?" Lio asks, tilting his head. "You're a romantic, after all. Having a soulmate is important to you." 

"Of course I would!" Galo says, which makes Lio narrow his eyes. Not the answer he would have liked, but the one he was expecting. Seeing Lio's sour expression, Galo continues. "I mean, I would love to be in love with my soulmate, and get married, and all that jazz. But now that I know it's you, and you clearly don't want those things…" 

Galo trails off, leaving Lio to sigh. "It's not that I don't want those things." He thinks about the future his mother wants for him, and how he had wanted it too, at some point before the war. "It's just that I don't understand why we should just because we got matching magical tattoos."

"I know." Galo says, and he closes his eyes. "I just imagined… things differently. I thought, if I had a soulmate, we'd click instantly, and my world would spin on a different axis, brighter and better and happily ever after." 

"I'm sorry I can't be that for you." Lio says, colder than he intends. 

"No, hell, I'm doing my words wrong." Galo rushes to correct, "I don't want you to be. That's what I used to want. Now that I have a face, a person, I just want to get to know you."

"I might not be able to give you what you want." Lio turns away, looking at the ground. 

"I don't want anything  _ of _ you. I want to get to know you. Maybe we'll fall in love along the way, maybe we won't." Galo gets up and comes towards him, pulling Lio into a hug. 

"How are you this kind?" Lio says into Galo's chest.

"You showed me kindness, too." Galo gives Lio a squeeze, and pulls away so they can look at each other, make sure that Lio can see the sincerity that shines so brightly in his eyes. 

"Thank you, then." Lio says, sincere. "For understanding." 

"And you." Galo places a kiss on the top of his head, and Lio feels him freeze. Lio doesn't know how to respond, so he doesn't, and after a few seconds Galo relaxes again with another squeeze that Lio returns. 


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! I hope you are all well from the craziness that is going on right now. Take care of yourselves and each other ♥️♥️
> 
> As promised, here's the second half of chapter 3, so it's a little smaller than the ones previous.

Despite discussing the situation, Lio and Galo never really came up with a solution. For the sake of not causing a scene, they agreed to not deny the rumours, hoping that they'd die out by themselves. 

In the meantime, Galo continues his medical training, and Lio continues to sift through reports. The messages they get concerning the situation is concerning, to say the least: there have been sightings of dragons, unbound ones at that, running rampant and scavenging the abandoned villages. 

The Burnish are thankfully well equipped to deal with these threats, but not everyone in Promare is Burnish, not even everyone in the teams sent out. More confusing are the other things, too small to be dragons but glow brightly in the night, like living dragonfire. 

Finally, a week after they set off for Marrow, his generals and their teams return, but not without casualties. 

Meis isn't even conscious, arriving in a solemn Gueria's arms as their teams are ushered into the medbay. It takes Lio physically separating them for Gueira to also get a check up done: just from looking Lio can see two gashes on his shoulder and forearm where the blood has glued the ripped clothing onto his skin, making it difficult to see where the scab ends and the frayed fabric begins. 

The state of their return isn't a surprise as messages were sent beforehand to let them know they have to prepare beds in the medbay, but all the same it hurts Lio to see his subordinates, _ friends _ , beaten and bloody and exhausted. 

Lio helps out with the nurses, too, because there are never enough hands to help the injured, especially when almost all the beds are full. He helps out because he has to and because he couldn't be there for them when they were fighting for Promare.

When he's not in the medbay, he's in the war room keeping an eye on the movements of Promepolis, waiting for them to reveal their next move. When he's not working, he's in his room with Galo, neither sleeping, too anxious about the day despite their own exhaustion. 

It's then, in the quiet hours of the morning or the long afternoons when neither of them have seen the bed since the night before, when they talk. 

_ "My mother was a battle maiden in her youth." _ Lio says, and retells Galo some of the stories she had told him of her time patrolling the borders of her village, fighting bandits and escorting diplomats for coin, of how her parents had thought it unbecoming of a noblewoman to be romping around in breeches and arranged for her to settle down with another noble's son. 

_ "Pa was the best cook in the castle, it's how he won my ma over." _ Galo shares the story of how his parents had met, a lady in waiting to Queen Foresight, and a kitchen helper who always had pastries to spare.  _ "The details are fuzzy now, and I don't even remember their faces."  _ He admits, afterwards, and Lio holds him until they both drift into an uneasy sleep. 

On another day,  _ "I found my Burnish flame when I was only five." _ Lio says, half a smile on his face.  _ "I was throwing a tantrum over something or another, and went up in flames. Mother was terrified I'd stolen matches and burned myself in protest." _ And Galo laughs, hard enough to shake the bed. 

And on another;  _ "Kray used to train me, personally, until his dad got stricter about his duties."  _ Galo's expression is fond, but there's also a sadness in them as they both avoid what has become of that relationship. Instead Galo tells of the misbehaving they did when they were young enough to get away with just a slap on the wrist and warnings to not skip lessons or steal from the kitchens. 

Lio finds himself hoarding these pieces of Galo that he gets in these conversations, treasuring them in his memory as if there were his own precious moments. 

In moments when he's alone, taking inventory of their medical supplies, or sorting reports, he wonders why he let Galo in so easily. Why he allowed Galo to saunter past his carefully maintained walls, built out of necessity because losing people in war is too painful. 

Lio just hopes that Galo will take care of his heart when he inevitably reaches it. 

Meis wakes up four long days after his return, and Lio gives Meis and Gueira time to catch up before he drops by. 

They are Lio's seconds, and he trusts them to come back in one piece. However, with this most recent mission gone sideways, Lio isn't sure that he can anymore. And he knows that he has to swallow that truth. 

The medbay is busy when Lio arrives, filled with patients and people visiting them. Lio has already seen most of those who are awake, mainly to thank them and see how they're doing, so he only greets little who call out to him in passing. 

"Boss!" Meis calls out when Lio gets to his bed. Gueira is scowling lightly and trying to push him back down onto the pillows. 

"Hello. It's good to see you awake." Lio takes a seat on the opposite side Gueira is on. 

"It's good to be awake." Meis nods, and lets himself be laid back down. "Do you already know what happened?" 

"We already have reports from those who are able to give them." Lio starts, but catches Gueria's sour face from opposite, and he pivots the conversation away from the war. "Don't worry about it until you're healed." 

"Ugh. We don't have time for that." Meis frowns, and Lio finds himself agreeing. They're extremely tight on resources now, and while Marrow is still technically there on the map, there's not much left of it between Promepolis and the creatures. 

"We'll make time for it." Lio assures. "You're no use to anyone while your Burnish flame is working on healing." 

Meis scoffs and mutters something to Gueira under his breath, suspiciously sounding like 'at least I have mine still'. Lio lets it go, because he understands Meis is tired and hurting, just like how they're all tired and hurting. 

"When are you getting your seals off, boss?" Gueira changes the topic, more successfully than Lio. 

"Next few days." He replies, fiddling with the ties around his wrists. The magic there is keeping them tight and uncomfortable, and the seal pattern that branches out from it is raised, making it a strange sensation to run his fingers over. "Hopefully sooner." 

"Good, you'll be back to normal before we know it." Gueira grins, nudging Meis who does not budge. 

"I should think I'm already operating at 'normal'." Lio says with a raised eyebrow. 

"See, you say shit like that and then I remember you've never been normal.  _ 'Operating at' _ , jeez" Gueira rolls his eyes, leaning back on his chair, and then springs up as if suddenly remembering something. "Lina told me you got engaged while we were gone."

"Ah, yes." Lio says, flushing. 

"What the fuck?" Meis whips his head back up to scowl at Lio. "No one told me this?" 

"That's because you woke up for the first time last night and haven't been awake for longer than two hour bursts." Gueira says, patting Meis' shoulder, and turns back on Lio. "He took advantage of us being away!"

Lio leans forward to whisper, "He didn't. It didn't happen. We're not really engaged." When Gueira opens his mouth, Lio immediately puts a finger on his lips and makes a  _ sshht _ noise.

Gueira closes his mouth with a frown, and while he's doing that Meis speaks, quietly. "Why not just say that though?" 

"I didn't manage to catch the rumour before it spread around the entire base, but since then people have been… happier, if that doesn't sound too conceited. Excited with something to look forward to." Lio says. "I don't know why, though. I suppose marriage is a big deal, and I'm still the boss to most of them. They feel like they know me." 

"Hm. You've actually thought about this." Meis comments, and Lio prods him in the arm, indignant.

"Things have been really bad since I got back, so if everyone's happy, we didn't want to cause a commotion by announcing that it was a misunderstanding." Lio stops, but then tacks on: "And besides, Galo is pretty popular, managed to charm most of the medbay staff on his first day." 

"Ew." Gueira says. 

"Ew." Meis agrees. 

Lio gives them both another prod, but it's in good nature. "It's fine, he's been working hard. I'm sure you've seen that yourself." 

"Yeah, actually, he was helping pre-assessment and everyone seemed to like him." Gueira confesses, but it looks like he's eaten a lemon while saying it. 

"Don't be so harsh on him. He saved my life." Lio chides, and the others roll their eyes. 

"Yes boss." Gueira says, but he doesn't look like Lio's words had any effect on him. Meis doesn't even dignify him with a response, although he does yawn loudly and Lio takes that as a cue to leave. 

"I'll let you rest." He says, getting up. "Don't worry about anything until you're feeling better." 

Gueira gives him a two fingered salute as he leaves, and Lio makes his way through the beds until he reaches the office the nurses are stationed in and peers in. 

Galo isn't there, meaning he's probably resting in their room, so Lio waves at the nurses and heads back himself. It's a little scary how fast they've fallen into this routine of crawling into bed with each other, even if it's just to exist in the space of another warm body who holds them. 

Before, he had understood on a practical level what it meant to be married in a war when Meis and Gueira fought side by side, at each other's backs: it meant they were focused, motivated, and vulnerable in the shape of each other. 

Similarly, Lio understands fighting with emotion: he fights with his rage sharpened to a neat point at the Foresights. What he doesn't understand is how to deal with emotion  _ without _ trying to fight it. 

How is he supposed to confront the feeling of safety when Galo's arms are circled around his waist as he snores? How does he solve the weakness he feels in his chest when Galo's eyes meet his in the dim light of their lamp? These are not things he can punch into submission, to burn until all that's left is ash and embers.

So Lio doesn't think about it. He just does, and takes what he can of the affection Galo gives him so freely. 

It's another three days until Lio is allowed to use Promean artes again. Galo is there with him when the doctor releases the seals, watching in delight as the ties loosen and the seals lift off his skin. Lio lights them up with a gentle burst of flame until the thread is nothing but ash swirling in the air. The doctor looks displeased, but Galo's reaction of pure joy to the party trick is worth it. 

"You're free." Galo says, once they're out and walking towards the caf. 

"I am." Lio says airily, wanting to hold on to the good mood as long as he can. "We're actually on time for breakfast." 

"Only because you had an appointment that required you to be free at this time." Galo teases, and they both know that he didn't need to also take a break at this time. Lio isn't sure if Galo's here for moral support (which he doesn't need) or just for company (which on any other day, Lio would frown and say it's a waste of time, but he's glad for it today). "Is it even breakfast if we've both been awake for twenty hours already?" 

"It's breakfast food, therefore it's breakfast." Lio says, picking them both up today's meal of flatbread and creamed vegetables. 

"Breakfast in Promare's weird." Galo frowns, but picks up their drinks nonetheless: just water, since they've been awake long enough and are probably going to bed afterwards. "You guys eat so much bread." 

"What's wrong with bread?" Lio asks as they get to an empty table to sit at. He can see people watching them out of the corner of his eye, and he tries his best to ignore them, though Galo seems to be doing the opposite and giving out greetings left and right. 

"Sorry," Galo sits down next to Lio at last, having socialised enough. "You guys eat bread every meal, it's weird. Don't you have rice or something?" 

"Bread is cheap to make." Lio says, ripping into his and dipping it into the creamed veg. "We don't really have the right farmland for the rice paddies Promepolis have." 

"Oh right." Galo digs into his own, with much more gusto than Lio's delicate bites. "Aw, no chilis today."

The comment is casual, not meaning anything based on how Galo is carrying on, but Lio feels his mood start to drop. Their food supply is going to start to decline as Marrow is no longer able to provide, and getting food from Promepolis is not easy. He finds himself not very hungry anymore thinking about this.

"Hey." Galo nudges him, catching on to Lio's souring mood. "You should eat."

"... Yeah." Lio looks at Galo's concerned eyes, and back at his breakfast-dinner. It would be a waste to leave it now, so he rips off another piece to eat.

"It's not often we get to eat here." Galo says, finishing his meal. "Normally I have to eat it between rounds."

"Similarly." Lio nods in agreement. It's nice, sharing this with Galo, even as he worries about other things. 

There's a pause in the conversation, just the sounds of Galo drumming his fingers and Lio eating slowly, but Lio is familiar enough with Galo's moods to know that he wants to say something so he finishes up as quickly as he can. 

"Lio!" Galo slams his palm onto the table the moment Lio has put the last piece of bread into his mouth, looking around them and covering his mouth as he whispers to Lio. "Let's go on a walk!"

Lio is still chewing, and he's not gross like Galo and refuses to talk with his mouth full, so it's a few moments before he's able to reply. "What?"

"A walk! You and me. Outside." Galo gestures between them excitedly. It occurs to Lio now that they've not really been outside since arriving at the base, what with so much going on. "You're the boss dude, surely you can get us outside."

"Galo, did you think we're not allowed outside?" Lio raises an eyebrow. 

Galo pauses in his wild gesticulating and mirrors Lio's expression. "We're allowed outside?" 

"Yes? We're a military base, not a prison." Lio laughs, very much enjoying Galo's face going from confusion to shock to embarrassment. "I suppose you didn't really get the tour."

"Wh- all this time I've been stuck  _ inside _ with no  _ sunlight  _ because you decided this stupid building needs to be built into a mountain and also underground--!!" Galo throws his arms up into the air, fast enough to make Lio's hair flip with the movement. "No one told me!" 

"I'm sorry? You also know that I didn't personally design or build, or have anything to do with where this building is don't you?" Lio offers, but he's very busy trying not to lose composure while laughing. 

"Fine, whatever. Let's go!" Galo stands up, scooping up their empty plates to put away. Lio doesn't have anything left to put away after Galo marches over to the plate drop-off with their stuff, so he waits by the door. 

"Come on then." He says, grabbing onto one of Galo's hands as he leads the way. Galo seems surprised, but his grip is firm and sure, and if Lio is blushing a little, it would be just from his good mood. 

They exit the base halfway up the mountain, by a small trail. It's not a well known exit, and Galo did want him to use 'boss dude powers' to get them out. There's a lot of dirt and tall grass, and a small bench that looks randomly placed, facing nowhere in particular. It's not possible to look off the mountain into the distance from where they are now, and Lio can tell that Galo is vibrating with excitement to go somewhere they can. 

He watches Galo pace up the path tiredly; there's only one, so unless he's blind it's unlikely for him to get lost. They've been awake for so long now that even though it feels good to have the sun on his skin and fresh air in his lungs, Lio just wants to curl up and nap. He doesn't know how Galo still has so much energy. He doesn't know why he even agreed to go on his walk. 

Eventually, Galo comes back down the path to drag Lio up it, taking Lio's smaller hand in his. It might be the tiredness making all the sharp edges of the world soft, or finally having his Burnish core and hearing it sing through his veins, but the walk up to the vista with Galo feels like stepping into a new dimension where there isn't a war on the cusp of defeat going on, magical in how everything falls away and all he can see is Galo. 

Fuck. He's really tired. He says as much when they reach the clearing, an outlook onto Promare from above. It's… sad, actually. Seeing Promare like this; where there once were bustling towns only rubble remains.

Galo seems to see this too, and sobers up the longer he looks. 

"I want to fix this." He says, eyes lingering on the still-smouldering Marrow on the horizon.

"We're trying." Lio replies, leaning into Galo. "We'll find a way."

"I'll help you, I swear." 

"Even though it's Promepolis we're up against?" 

"Even then. They painted innocents as evil and did this, for what?" Galo says more to the land than to Lio. "Why...?"

"If I knew, we wouldn't be here." Lio murmurs, closing his eyes. 

With each day, the situation gets more dire. Lio feels it like a band around his head, tightening each time someone gives him an update or report. 

It culminates when he's assigned to go investigate the unbound dragons and creatures. It's not ideal, with so few able people left, but time marches ever on and Lio is the perfect person to do it given his affinity to Promare. He's also to go alone, something Galo is stubbornly against. 

"This is not something that I can just say no to." Lio is pulling supplies out of his chest of drawers while Galo is sitting cross-legged on the bed, arms crossed.

"I thought you weren't allowed to do recon because of the news and stuff?" Galo frowns. 

"That's for recon in Promepolis. Most people in Promare already know my face." Lio explains with a shrug. "I won't be going far enough to cross the border, anyway."

"But you'll still be alone." Galo presses. "What if something happens?"

"It won't." 

"We both saw what they did to Gueira, to Meis. I don't like it."

"You don't have to like it." Lio sighs, and turns to Galo. "The order is from above me, so it's not even up for debate."

"What about your team? Meis and Gueira both have one." 

"Galo, please." Lio snaps, making Galo recoil. Lio knows that it's not Galo's fault, his team is a sore spot. He continues packing, avoiding Galo's eyes. "Sorry. I... I don't have a team anymore." 

"Oh." Galo says, after a minute of thick silence. "I'm sorry." 

"Me too." 

All that remains of the conversation is the rustling of Lio packing. He can tell that Galo still isn't happy, but doesn't know what to say; and to be fair, neither does Lio. When he finishes, he sits down on the bed next to Galo, who folds his legs over to make space. 

"It was last year." Lio says, but Galo shakes his head before he can continue. 

"It's fine. You don't have to explain yourself." 

"No, it's…" Lio struggles, frowning and looking into his palms. "I don't know." 

Galo wraps an arm around Lio's waist, pulling him in and pressing his lips to the top of his head, a reassuring gesture that melts Lio's composure. "It's fine." 

"It's clearly not." Lio says, but leans into Galo's warmth anyway.

"No, that's true. You're still going by yourself to a known danger zone." Galo hums in agreement, and it's so frank that it makes Lio snort.

"What was the point of that then?"

"I was comforting you for the team thing, I still think you going alone is stupid. Who is 'higher up', anyway? You're the face of the military. " Galo lets go of Lio to gesture with his hands, waving them up in the air in a 'who knows' fashion. 

"I'm hardly capable of everything it takes to run an army, Galo. I'm twenty seven." Lio deadpans. "I get a say in most of what goes on in the field but I can't manage resources, or people, or even the intelligence though that one goes through me." 

"... Dude, that's so complicated." Galo tilts his head from side to side, thinking about it.

"Exactly, that's why I don't do it." 

"Why can't I just come with you?" Galo asks, steering the conversation back to the point he's trying to make. "Then you won't be alone." 

"You'd slow me down." Lio says, easily. "I'm sorry there's not much for you to do here." 

"I- that's not why I brought it up."

"No, but it's been on your mind." Lio reaches up to pinch one of Galo's cheeks. "You've been restless since we went on that walk." 

"No, stop it. This isn't about me." Galo frowns, batting Lio's hand away. "I've just started getting to know you, and it turns out I like what I've learned." 

"I… thank you?" Lio blinks, slightly taken aback at the confession. 

"You're welcome. Anyway, I've never been one for sitting still and letting other people fight for me. I'm capable, Lio, I promise you. I won't hold you back." Galo says, earnestly. 

"This is specifically for investigating potentially Burnish creatures." 

"But you'd still need someone to have your back. I can provide medical aid, I can't breathe fire or whatever but if you get hurt I can make sure you are in one piece." 

Lio turns the idea around in his head, giving it proper thought. It is true that Galo managed to best him, even if it wasn't a fair fight, but even so Lio's taken down more in worse odds. And having someone who can have his back is a tempting idea, even if he can't bear the thought of losing it again. 

And that's the scariest bit.

"I want you to be safe, too." He admits. "I also like the Galo I've come to know." 

"Then where safer will I be but at your side?" Galo says without missing a beat. He's so sure, so genuine that Lio's heart flutters at the sheer power of the statement, despite how it makes little sense.

"Fine." Lio agrees, crushing the feeling that he'll regret it. At least if he can see Galo, he can protect him. "Don't make me regret it." 

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading ♥️


End file.
